NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – The organization Jane Place Sustainability Initiative will be teaming up with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services and Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center to host a “Know Your Rights” training session for Spanish-speaking renters.

“Empowering tenants in the city, letting them know what their rights are as tenants, especially because most times landlords do take advantage of Spanish speaking tenants because there is that language barrier,” Kim Diaz, the organizing and community engagement lead at Jane Place Sustainability Initiative, said.

According to Diaz, this will be the first time the training is held in Spanish.

“Which is really rare, honestly, and I’ve noticed most law offices don’t have lawyers that speak Spanish, so just like finding interpreters for this, and even having somebody, letting folks know what to do if ICE comes to their home or work and just providing access to resources that weren’t there before,” Diaz said.

Diaz says she noticed there was a need years ago when she was a young girl.

“I also grew up in a majority Latino neighborhood, close to Lafreniere Park, which is where there’s a lot of Spanish speakers, and I noticed the conditions fairly young,” Diaz shared

The training is happening simultaneously with National Hispanic Heritage Month, which was somewhat a coincidence.

“As it neared, I realized I was like, wow, it actually is Hispanic Heritage Month, and this is honestly the best time to bring awareness to this because what better time to let people know their rights and to empower people to just be a voice for somebody than during their own month?” Diaz said.

The seminar will be held Tuesday, September 20 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at First Grace Methodist Church, located at 3401 Canal Street. Attendance is free. Children are welcome, and dinner will be served.